Wichita eagle., 1887-09-25
Z ONE OF THE HEROES. Z
AN AMERICAN JOURNALISTS TRIP
ACROSS THE DESERT TO KHlvA

A
ACROSS THE DESERT TO kHivA
| A Journey OF GOO Miies Through SILENT
| Desolation-3oo Niles OF Desert-Re-
| porting tho Mas.~cres of Bulgaria.
! The Grave.
| And now we come to another American
who should be enshrirea as enc Of the
/ heroes OF the century. His name Is J. ~
MacGshan- Like many other great men
| he was from Ohio He went TO Europe to
complete bis collegiate studies. The
Franco Prussian war broke out. He en-
tered the field as correspondent, He
did good work, and when the war closed
he was in Journalism for life He visited
Siberia and described its life. Informal
ton reached him that Gen. Kaufman and
the Grand Duke Nicolas were about 20
make an assault on khiya. It was Rus
sia's boldest move toward India. lie 6e-
termined 10 witness il. He hurried south,
but missed the moving column Then 10
prepared for what proved 10 be one Of the
most daring rides ever naadc by man. It
was a Journey OF coo miles through silent
desolation. with 800 miles Of desert.
Many times he lost HIS way Several
times he and his men were Frustrated by
the heat and thrown upon the sands, only
TO be revived by the coming Of the night.
But despite the loss CT horses. despite tho
daily rebellion of his attendants. despite
frequent exhaustion and semi-starvatloa
for nearly two months. he pushed through
the arid wastes. All through that region
he was called ''Moiodyety''-a brave fet-
low.
After he had started. the Russians
wanted him back Twenty-Five Cossacks,
splendid horsemen, were dispatched 20
overtake him. For nearly Goa miles they
chased him across that terrible country,
but when they arrived az hating place
they always found that Mac(Sahan had
left it few hours before. The people
even laughed at the idea Of their trying 10
catch such brave fellow Gs the Young
American. Nay, more, they went SO far
as to put MacGahan's pursuc.s of tho
track: and in the town from which they
started, the admiration for the correspon-
dents pluck was so great thar celehrs-
ton was arranged to welcome him should
he be overtaken and brought hack. But
he was not overtakcn.
He had started for Khiva. and to Khiva
he would go. He entered the Russian
camp specter Of himself Officers
stopped in the midst Of battle 10 express
their admiration. lie had ono chance in
hundred of getting through that desert
alive. He accepted Il, and he not only
won, but he eluded the Cossacks. Iis
saw khiva taken. Tie was one of tbs
first to enter its portals, and hbs descrip-
ton of it and the fight stands ON record a.
q masterpiece OF its kind.
Why did he risk hs life IL this war
Every stop he took, every pound 81 tsesh
he lost-and he loss nearly al OF twas
for one purpose, and one only TO get tie
news, TO reach khivn, 70 lay before tbs
world the story OF Russia first step te-s-
ard India
ANOTHER ACHIEVEMENT
Nor was this his last achievement In
the spring of 1875 hs was IN London.
Picking up paper, he read brief dis
patch telling OF the Turkish massacre in
Bulgaria He saw tho tremendous Inn
portance Of the item. In an hour he had
arranged 10 go TO Bulgaria. He hurried
TO the scene OF the crimes. lie painted
them in master strokes. lie pictured thsI
dead girls IN the pillagcd towns. lie wonI
everywhere, cheering the people, assistingl
them, pleading their cause with his pen,I
telling them that the ear would avenged
the Outrage. and bidding them take cour-E
age. In thirty days lie changed the whoist
complexion OF European politics His iet-l
ters were the sensation Of the world
Beaconsiieid, the friend of the TUX. arosei
in the house Of commons and deuouncedi
them az false be had official deuiRls tele-i
Craphed from Constnntinopie.
But Mac(iahsn rode on aud wrote on,
until the Russian army crossed tie pruth,
and then, attached TO the staff - The com
handing officer, he went through tho ire
and smoke, writing bis splendid 6escrlp-
lions In the midst Of battle; fighting ard
laughing and writing. and elcctriiyiBg ths
world by tho words BE placed on the tele-
graph wires. He saw Pievna fall. be was
wounded in Sehipka Pass; De saw all the
big events Of the war. When Icnatef
drew the famous treaty at Sau Stsfsno,
he said that IL would not stand. and is
lived 10 see 10 torn up ard laughed at. II.
never made q prediction that wGz not ful-
filed No charge, except the futile de-
NAL by Disraeli, was ever made AGAINST
his veracity. 20 maE ia Europe eusoyed
n higher esteem and reTpet; than ali ke.
And when, nine years aEo last Thurs
day, n swift fever carried hin beyond
al earthly wars. the Rus an. Gen SEoie-
leff, closed bis eyes ana shed tears ~ bis
grave. The Ohio legislature bad bia re-
mains removed 10 his native state When
the Grand Duke Nicholas hcaFd # kis
death, he said. TOO bad. lie uould have
been governor q Buletria.r Ard ~ reg
ularly a. The 9th ~ yuue cafacs, efcEy
hamlet. Every village. every ety ~ Bah
garia commemorate h.s des.l and serais
up prayers for tie re,oee 81 csc ~ tkc
noblest souls that God ever fnasie. Lynn
r. Meekins addre.